Employee agility: From theory to practice in Vietnamese Enterprises
Published: August 4, 2026
Abstract
This study examines a contemporary business environment shaped by the intersection of the VUCA paradigm - volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity - and the emerging BANI conditions of fragility, anxiety, non-linearity, and confusion, which collectively compel firms to transform and restructure their business models. The analysis indicates a notable shift in recent research from an organizational-level focus to the individual level, where rapid and continuous adaptation is essential to align with ongoing organizational change. The study highlights three core pillars of employee agility: proactiveness, adaptability, and resilience. Drawing on these findings, the article proposes managerial strategies, including job redesign and the cultivation of a learning-oriented culture, to enhance the effectiveness of human resource management in Vietnamese enterprises.
Keywords
employee agility (EA)
References
1.
Abe Harraf, Isaac Wanasika, Kaylynn Tate và Kaitlyn Talbott (2015) Organizational Agility, The Journal of Applied Business Research - March/April 2015 Volume 31, Number 2
2.
Alavi, S., Wahab, D. A., Muhamad, N., và Shirani, B. A. (2014). Organic structure and organisational learning as the main antecedents of workforce agility. International Journal of Production Research, 52, 6273-6295.
3.
Cai, Z., Huang, Q., Liu, H., và Wang, X. (2018). Improving the agility of employees through enterprise social media: The mediating role of psychological conditions. International Journal of Information Management, 38(1), 52-63
4.
David J. Teece, Gary Pisano và Amy Shuen (1997). Dynamic Capabilities and Strategic Management. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18:7, 509 -533(1997)
5.
David J.Teece, Margaret A.Peteraf, Sohvi Leih (2016) Dynamic Capabilities and Organizational Agility: Risk, Uncertainty and Entrepreneurial management in the Innovation Economy, California management review, 58(4):13-35
6.
Evangelia Demerouti, Arnold B. Bakker, Friedhelm Nachreiner và Wilmar B. Schaufeli (2001), The Job Demands-Resources Model of Burnout, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 86(3), Jun 2001, 499-512
7.
Khan, A. N., Soomro, M. A., và Pitafi, A. H. (2025). AI in the workplace: driving employee performance through enhanced knowledge sharing and work engagement. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(17), 10699-10712.
8.
Liu, H., Li, Z., Cai, Z., và Huang, Q. (2015). The effects of task conflict and relationship conflict on workforce agility: Moderating role of social media usage. International Conference on Information Systems.
9.
Pitafi, A. H., Rasheed, M. I., Kanwal, S., và Ren, M. (2020). Employee agility and enterprise social media: The Role of IT proficiency and work expertise. Technology in Society, 63, 101333.
10.
Salmen, K., và Festing, M. (2022). Paving the way for progress in employee agility research: a systematic literature review and framework. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(22), 4386-4439.
11.
Wageeh A.Nafei (2016) Organizational Agility: The key to Organizational Success, International Journal of Business and Management; Vol. 11, No. 5; 2016
